


maybe you could be my playlist

by kihyuks



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Roommates, side changkihyungwon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-02-09 23:24:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18648226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kihyuks/pseuds/kihyuks
Summary: jooheon doesn't believe that his roommate and close friend minhyuk shares the same romantic feelings jooheon does, but a playlist made by minhyuk might change his mind.





	maybe you could be my playlist

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cngkyns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cngkyns/gifts).



> to recipient: i hope you enjoy this!! i rly loved your prompt and i had so many ideas so this went a lil overboard n i kinda just only stuck the actual prompt in at the end so i hope that's okay but i rly wanted to add in more fluff n development of joohyuk's relationship aaah
> 
> a quick potential warning that might be a lil spoilery? but i don't want to not give a warning so there is a part of this where the characters think that two of the other characters have been in a car crash and the scene partly takes place in a hospital, but no one actually is in one and it's only an assumption which is solved rather quickly, but it is there so i jsut wanted to add the warning in case that might affect anyone! its the second of the three scenes in the honey tea lyrics section and if anyone might have an issue with that i think you can easily skip it and still get the gist of what's going on.

_If these sheets were the states, and you were miles away,_  
_I'd fold them end over end to bring you closer to me._  
_Because I don't sleep at all without you pressed up against me._  
_I settle for long distance calls, I'm lost in empty pillow talk again._  
**if these sheets were the states; all time low**

Minhyuk is away, seeing his family, and it’s hitting Jooheon harder than he thought. Having only been roommates for the past six months, he thought it wouldn’t really make much of a difference not having Minhyuk around. When they both went back home for Christmas Jooheon was fine. He missed Minhyuk during those times, of course, but it was just the same as missing his other friends. Whenever Minhyuk had gone home to see his family during their first two years of university (before they were roommates) it was never a problem. But now? Now, for some reason, Jooheon is wrapped up in Minhyuk’s duvet in his bed, wallowing in his loneliness.

He misses Minhyuk. More than he probably should. But Minhyuk is enjoying his time with his family, so Jooheon wraps the duvet tighter around himself, bringing it right up to his chin, and ignores his phone which is staring at him from the bedside table, begging him to call Minhyuk.

At some point, Jooheon must doze off, the warmth and cosiness of the duvet lulling him into sleep, because he’s rudely awoken by the phone ringing. He takes note of how the room has plunged into darkness and wonders how long he’s been asleep. It was light outside the last time he checked.

Jooheon reaches out of his duvet cocoon and fumbles his hand around the bedside table in search of his phone. He brings it up to his face, blinking at the screen in an attempt to get his eyes to adjust to the brightness, and realises he missed a call from Minhyuk.

He calls back, missing the button twice with his blurry eyesight, and holds the phone up to his ear, wrapping himself back up in the duvet.

“Hey, Jooheony,” is how Minhyuk answers. He sounds bright, cheerful.

“Hey,” Jooheon replies through a yawn. “How is it being home?”

“It’s fun! We just got home from dinner, actually.” There’s shuffling on the other side and then Minhyuk continues. “I miss you, though.”

“I miss you, too,” Jooheon replies, his voice barely above a whisper, like he’s telling a secret that no one’s supposed to hear.

There’s rustling sounds on the other end of the line and Jooheon can only assume that Minhyuk’s also getting into bed. “I didn’t sleep without you here.” Minhyuk’s whispering, much like Jooheon was.

“I fell asleep earlier. I’ve stolen your bed, though. I hope you don’t mind.”

Minhyuk giggles, light and airy. “What’s mine is yours.”

Jooheon hums.

Neither of them speak for a while, listening to each other breathing. It comforts Jooheon, just being able to hear that Minhyuk is there, even if they can’t physically be together.

Jooheon can hear as Minhyuk’s breathing starts to slow down and even out. “You’re falling asleep, aren’t you?”

A beat of silence. Then, “No, of course not.” He yawns, loudly, then groans. “Okay, maybe.”

“Go to sleep, Minnie. I’ll hang up when you’re asleep.”

“Okay,” Minhyuk mumbles, and Jooheon can tell he’s already on the verge of falling asleep again.

Jooheon waits. Cuddled up in Minhyuk’s duvet, the moon shining in through the window where he forgot to close the curtains, and Minhyuk’s soft breathing on the other end of the line. He’s content.

Minhyuk’s breathing completely evens out. “Are you awake?” he whispers, just to check.

When there’s no reply, he hangs up the phone. He puts it onto the bedside table again and snuggles back into bed. 

He falls asleep thinking of Minhyuk.

 

* * *

 

“You’re home early.”

There Minhyuk is standing, at their front door, when he’s not due back for another three days.

“Why are you home early?”

Minhyuk shrugs. He enters the flat, suitcase behind him. “Maybe I just missed you.”

Jooheon desperately wills away the heat rising to his cheeks as he shuts the door. “Why did you really come home? You haven’t seen your family in forever.”

“I told you. I missed you. And I got set an essay and I can’t work on essays at home it’s too distracting.”

And Jooheon knows it’s ridiculous the way his heart drops at those words, but he’s so in love with Minhyuk and all he wants is for his feelings to be returned. It was silly of him to think Minhyuk would really come home early just to see him. They spend all their time together, Minhyuk would never leave his family, who he only sees a couple of times a year, just for Jooheon. So, he sucks it up and gets over it.

“I’m glad you’re home. It sucks being here without you.”

“Aww, Jooheony.” Minhyuk abandons his suitcase and runs to Jooheon’s side, throwing his arms around Jooheon’s neck and planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek. “You’re so cute.”

Minhyuk is always affectionate, but it doesn’t make Jooheon’s heart race any less. “Ha, yeah, sure I am.”

Minhyuk holds onto Jooheon for a few seconds longer before letting him go. He looks down at his feet and Jooheon wonders what’s on his mind, but before he knows it Jooheon is looking back up, grinning. “I should go unpack and work on my essay.”

Jooheon nods. He starts to walk towards the kitchen, knowing Minhyuk will want to use their room to work on his essay and he doesn’t want to bother him. He could do with making himself some food, anyway. “I’ll leave you in peace, then.”

As Jooheon opens the kitchen door, he hears Minhyuk call his name. He looks back to his friend, brows furrowed.

“Cuddles tonight, yeah?”

And Jooheon nods and smiles, because when has he ever turned down any of Minhyuk’s requests? Especially his requests for cuddles. Those are Jooheon’s favourite.

 

* * *

 

 

 

_But I wanna sleep next to you_  
_And I wanna come home to you_  
_I wanna hold hands with you_  
_I wanna be close to you_  
**talk me down; troye sivan**

Jooheon has not had a good day. In fact, he’d say he’s had a pretty damn shitty day.

First, he slept through his alarm, so he ended up late to his first lecture of the day which resulted in him being scolded by his lecturer in a room full of over 100 people.

Then, he realised he forgot his umbrella. This would’ve been fine, if not for the fact that it was pouring down when he needed to make the twenty-minute walk to get to their secondary campus for his next lecture. Needless to say, he was dripping wet throughout that entire lecture (and for most of the day following).

To top it all off, his lecturer for his final lecture of the day set him an essay due in _three_ days. As if he doesn’t have other classes and deadlines to worry about.

So, Jooheon has really not had a good day.

“You look glum,” Minhyuk comments when Jooheon walks through their front door, his clothes still damp from being caught out in the rain.

Minhyuk is lazing on the sofa, devouring a pizza. Jooheon’s mouth waters at the sight of the food. “Today was pretty shit.”

“Want a slice?” Minhyuk holds out his pizza box, which is almost empty at this point. Jooheon isn’t going to complain about the lack of pizza, though, because one slice is better than none.

He snags one of the slices and eats it in only a few bites. “God, I was so hungry. Thanks.”

Minhyuk holds out the box again. “Take the last one. I’m full.”

Jooheon eyes him suspiciously. Minhyuk never gets full from takeaway pizza, often complaining that they never give enough, and he most definitely never offers to share his pizza. With anyone. Ever.

Minhyuk nods his head at the box again, insistent.

Jooheon takes the pizza slice warily, but all Minhyuk does is smile when it’s in Jooheon’s hand. Unusual behaviour, but Jooheon’s getting free pizza out of it, so really who is he to complain? He eats the slice quickly and rubs his stomach when he finishes it, feeling satisfied.

“I’m gonna get out of these damp clothes and go to bed.”

Minhyuk hums, doing something on his phone. “I’ll come join in a bit.”

Jooheon nods, not that Minhyuk is even looking at him, and goes to get ready for bed.

It doesn’t take long for him to brush his teeth and get into his pyjamas. He gets in to bed, wrapping himself up tightly in his duvet and blankets.

He’s scrolling mindlessly through his phone when the door creaks open and Minhyuk peeks his head through the gap. “Oh, you’re still awake. Good.”

“Of course.”

Jooheon can’t see Minhyuk very well, it’s dark in the room, but he does manage to make out Minhyuk’s figure as he enters the room, strides over to Jooheon’s bed but then hesitates.

“Can I join?” he asks. There’s a nervous edge to his voice.

In lieu of answering, Jooheon shuffles back against the wall to make space on the other side of the bed and lifts up his duvet.

Minhyuk slips into the bed, wrapping his arms around Jooheon. He presses the softest of kisses to Jooheon’s forehead and then his eyes slip close as he snuggles closer against Jooheon’s chest.

Jooheon holds his breath, waiting for Minhyuk to fall asleep. Thankfully, it doesn’t take too long for Minhyuk’s breathing to completely even out. With Minhyuk now asleep, Jooheon is able to relax into his arms. He ignores his phone digging into his side from where he dropped it because he doesn’t want to move and accidentally wake Minhyuk up.

He starts to overthink, as he usually does, wondering why Minhyuk decided to join him in his bed when he has his own (which is much more comfortable). He only sees Jooheon as a friend after all, right?

There’s always that glimmer of hope in Jooheon’s heart that Minhyuk might return his feelings, but he always crushes it down. He doesn’t want to let himself have too much hope only to get his heart broken when there’s a much higher probability that Minhyuk, being the clingy and physically affectionate person he is, just does all these things platonically. 

With a sigh, Jooheon cuddles closer to Minhyuk, making the most of their cuddle time, and closes his eyes, hoping for sleep to overtake him quickly.

 

* * *

 

Wednesdays are by far Jooheon’s favourite day of the week. He only has one lecture, which makes it a good day all by itself, but it’s also the day when he and Minhyuk get coffee together. They started their little coffee dates almost a year ago and the only time so far when they’ve missed any of the dates was when one or both of them was at home with family. Even during exams, they’ve always made time for their coffee dates.

So, today being a Wednesday means it’s going to be a good day.

Jooheon leaves his lecture with a skip in his step, excited to go and meet up with Minhyuk. They live together and see each other every day, yes, but there’s just something so exciting and special about their coffee dates. It’s always Jooheon’s favourite part of the week.

He makes his way to their usual coffee shop, ordering himself a latte and taking their usual table by the window.

He’s earlier than Minhyuk but it’s not much of a surprise. Minhyuk’s lecture finishes 15 minutes later than Jooheon’s does so he always manages to beat Minhyuk there. He doesn’t mind, though. It’s nice to have some time to relax in the coffee shop after his lecture and enjoy his coffee.

Jooheon sips his drink slowly, watching out of the window at all the people passing by.

Not too long later he spots Minhyuk hurrying over to the door and smiles.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Minhyuk puffs out. He throws his coat over the back of the chair and slides into his seat.

“I told you not to apologise. I don’t mind waiting.”

“Still.” Minhyuk doesn’t continue, instead pulling a folder out of his bag and slipping out a couple of sheets. “I really need to revise this essay before I submit it. You don’t mind, do you?”

Jooheon shakes his head. “Go ahead.”

Minhyuk smiles gratefully and starts to go over his essay. He has the end of the pen in his mouth, chewing on it. Occasionally, he’ll scribble something down on the page, but for the most part he’s just reading.

It’s a comfortable atmosphere. Jooheon’s latte is already long finished by now, but he doesn’t mind. He’s enjoying watching Minhyuk and all the various facial expressions he makes as he’s reading. It’s not the most interesting thing in the world, of course, watching your friend read over an essay, but Jooheon enjoys it nonetheless, because any time in Minhyuk’s presence is a good time for him.

Minhyuk doesn’t take long to finish. “I’m really sorry,” he apologises again.

Jooheon shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it, Minnie. Now, tell me about your day.”

“it was decent. My professor is an ass, though. He’s making us do this stupid group project and we’re not allowed to pick our partners.” He sighs and leads his head against his hand, his elbow resting on the table. There’s a pout on his face.

“Do you know who your partner is?”

“No clue,” Minhyuk whines. “He said he’ll email us all later. I really hope I get someone good.” As he talks, his elbow slowly slips further and further inwards until he’s practically slumped on the table. Definitely not how one should be in a public place, but Jooheon finds it adorable. But then again, that might just be because he finds everything Minhyuk does adorable. “Hold my hand, Honey. I need the support.”

So, Jooheon complies and slips his hand into Minhyuk’s much larger one. The warmth from Minhyuk’s hand spreads through his body and into his heart. it’s a simple thing, asking to hold Jooheon’s hand, and something that Minhyuk does fairly often, but it’s special to Jooheon, because he’s the only one who Minhyuk ever asks to hold his hand.

“Should we get some chips to share on the way home to make your day better?” Jooheon asks. He’s rubbing small circles on the back of Minhyuk’s thumb with his own thumb, hoping to comfort him.

“Yes, please.”

And the happiness on Minhyuk’s face just at the prospect of getting some chips reminds Jooheon that he’d do anything to make the man in front of him happy. And it’s always worth it, just too see Minhyuk’s smile.

 

* * *

 

 

 

_Just take it slow_  
_And move your feet to the beat_  
_'Cause if we dance then_  
_You don't have to speak_  
_And I know it's hard to tell_  
_But I think I really like you_  
**dance with me; beabadoobee**

“Are you coming to Changkyun’s party tonight?” Minhyuk asks as he exits their kitchen holding a steaming bowl of noodles.

Jooheon quickly runs over all his deadlines in his head. He has one essay due tomorrow, but he’s already finished that. His only other thing to worry about is a test, but that’s not for another week yet. Deciding he has the time, he answers, “Yeah, sure. Are we going together?”

Minhyuk blows on his noodles as he sits down on the sofa beside Jooheon. “Of course. Matching?”

“We are not going in matching clothes. Not again,” Jooheon says with a roll of his eyes.

“But Honey,” Minhyuk starts, bringing out the puppy eyes that he knows Jooheon is weak to, “we’ll look so cute together.”

Jooheon wants to say no because he just _knows_ the ridicule they’ll get from their friends if they turn up in matching outfits because of the number of times it’s happened before, but he’s a weak, weak man. “Fine. Only because it’s you, though.”

Minhyuk shovels noodles into his mouth, making it hard for him to talk, but he manages to say what Jooheon thinks is “love you” through the food in his mouth. 

Jooheon wishes he meant it in the same way Jooheon feels, not just as a friend, but he doesn’t and that’s okay. Jooheon can deal with that.

 

* * *

 

For once, Minhyuk has gone subtle with his matching outfits. Normally he picks out the most garish and over the top items for them both to wear, but this time, much to Jooheon’s pleasure, he’s gone simple with his choice. They’re both wearing leather trousers and sheer tops, pretty standard party outfits for the both of them, however Minhyuk’s top is white while Jooheon’s is black.

In Jooheon’s opinion, they look really damn good.

Kihyun must agree because he whistles when the two of them enter Changkyun’s living room where most of the people at the party have gathered. It catches the attention of Changkyun and Hyungwon who’d been chatting together at Kihyun’s side.

“Damn, you guys look good,” Changkyun says appreciatively, looking both of them up and down.

Hyungwon clears his throat loudly. “Your boyfriends are standing right here. Stop checking them out,” he whines.

Changkyun laughs. “Okay, you big baby.”

Hyungwon grins when Changkyun pulls him down by his neck so he can plant a kiss on his forehead.

“I’m gonna grab a drink. Want one?” Minhyuk whispers directly into Jooheon’s ear. It’s unnecessary, the music isn’t yet loud enough for them to have to be close to each other to be able to have a conversation, and only serves to send shivers down Jooheon’s spine.

“Yes, please. Just get me a soft drink, though. I don’t feel like drinking tonight.”

Minhyuk slips away, leaving Jooheon waiting along rather awkwardly in the middle of the room as Hyungwon, Changkyun and Kihyun have also disappeared. He sinks back towards the wall in an attempt to make himself hidden.

It’s still early for a party, so most people are just standing around chatting and having a drink. Normally, Jooheon would be joining in, talking to strangers, making conversation, but for some reason he’s not feeling up to it today. Maybe it’s his exhaustion from university or maybe it’s how he’s had a little too much social interaction recently due to all of his group projects he’s had to get done.

“Hey,” Minhyuk greets, holding out a cup to Jooheon.

Jooheon takes it with a ‘thanks’ and takes a sip. It’s lemonade, which wouldn’t be his first choice of drink, but he’s not going to complain about it.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find any coke,” Minhyuk says, taking a sip of his own drink.

They stand together in silence, sipping on their drinks and people watching.

After a while the music starts playing and out of the corner of his eye Jooheon can see a grin form on Minhyuk’s face. He turns to look at his friend with a raised brow.

“Jooheony?” The grin seems to grow even larger on Minhyuk’s face.

Jooheon squints. “Yes?”

Minhyuk holds out his hand. “Will you dance with me?”

Jooheon shakes his head with a laugh, but he takes Minhyuk’s hand anyway. His cup is mostly empty, so he sticks it on a random table and mentally apologises to Changkyun for leaving cups around his house instead of doing the right thing and taking it into the kitchen to throw it in the bin.

Minhyuk abandons his cup at some point, too, but Jooheon doesn’t see where. He leads Jooheon to the makeshift dance floor (it’s really just the middle of the living room) and spins around abruptly to face Jooheon, their hands still linked.

Jooheon stumbles back slightly, not expecting Minhyuk to turn and be so close to him.

Minhyuk grins and pulls Jooheon closer by their still joined hands. He lets go when he deems them close enough, resting his arms on Jooheon’s shoulders instead and linking his hands together behind Jooheon’s neck.

Jooheon lightly rests his hands on Minhyuk’s wait. He’s not sure where to really put his hands, but he knows he can’t leave them hanging down at his side, so he settles for Minhyuk’s waist.

Minhyuk sways them both gently side to side. There’s a smile on his face as he looks directly into Jooheon’s eyes.

It makes Jooheon flustered and he has to divert his own eyes down to the ground, breaking the eye contact.

He looks down at their feet as they continue swaying. He feels Minhyuk shift closer.

There’s a sensation of warm breath near his neck and Jooheon gulps.

Minhyuk must notice because he starts giggling.

Still looking down, Jooheon whispers, “What are you doing?” It feels wrong to speak too loud, even with the music blaring through the room. If Minhyuk wasn’t so close to him, Jooheon doubts he’d even be able to hear him.

“Dancing,” is Minhyuk’s reply.

Jooheon finally looks up and is met with Minhyuk mere centimetres from his face. Jooheon’s heart picks up speed due to the proximity, but he does his best to hide it. He opens his mouth, ready to speak again, but a finger presses against his lips and Minhyuk is shushing him.

“No more talking. Just dance with me, okay?”

Jooheon can only nod.

The finger is removed, thankfully, and they continue their swaying together. It can barely be considered dancing, just two people moving together to a non-existent beat, since the upbeat music in the background blasting over the speakers definitely isn’t the right type of music for how they’re dancing and they’re definitely not in time with the beat in the slightest, but they don’t let that stop them.

Minhyuk rests his head on Jooheon’s shoulder after a while. There’s the faintest feeling of lips pressing against his neck. It’s barely there and lasts for not even a second, so Jooheon thinks he must’ve just imagined it. It was the lightest of touches, anyway, so even if he didn’t imagine it, Minhyuk most definitely must’ve done it by accident.

That’s what Jooheon tells himself, anyway, in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

They dance together for a long time, longer than Jooheon even dares to try and calculate. They don’t speak, but it’s enough without words. The intimacy of being close to one another is all Jooheon really needs.

And he realises there’s no one he’d rather have here, dancing in his arms, than Minhyuk.

 

* * *

 

 

 

_And when..._  
_When the night falls on you, baby_  
_You're feeling all alone_  
_You won't be on your own_  
**i’ll stand by you; the pretenders**

If he’s being honest with himself, Jooheon feels like crying. He’s so drained and exhausted and all he really wants to do is curl up in his duvet on the sofa and put a shitty movie on to try and distract himself from the hellish day he’s experienced.

Jooheon slips the key into the lock and opens the front door to his flat. “Minnie, you home?”

There’s no reply.

Jooheon sighs and lets his whole body sag. It’s not like he’s been hoping Minhyuk wouldn’t be home, of course not, but he wants to have his crying session in peace without worrying or bothering Minhyuk.

He lets his bag drop to the floor, uncaring of where it lands. He grabs the tissue box they leave by the front door (because Minhyuk has allergies and he always forgets to take tissues with him so they’re there as a reminder) and drops it on the coffee table in front of the sofa as he shuffles past on the way to his room.

He takes his duvet, which was left a crumpled mess on the end of his bed, tries his best not to trip over the clothes left on the floor (whose clothes he can’t even tell, because he and Minhyuk basically share their wardrobe at this point) and drags it out to the sofa with him.

There are tears already pricking at his eyes when he grabs the remote and the tissue box and bundles himself up in the middle of the sofa.

He turns on the TV but doesn’t bother to change the channel from the one it was left on. He only wants it on as background noise, really.

Before he even registers it, the tears are streaming down his face. A sob wracks from deep inside him. He pulls the duvet closer around himself, engulfing himself in it, attempting to disappear.

Jooheon doesn’t even know what’s really wrong. It’s just one of those days where every small little thing that could potentially go wrong has gone wrong and on their own each of the things wouldn’t have bothered him, but the cumulation of so many things going wrong has just set him off and now he can’t stop crying.

He cries loudly, uncaring if his neighbours hear him. It’s not unusual for a student to have a crying session in the middle of the afternoon, anyway. He’s overheard his fair share of students crying at all hours of the day. It’s just how life is sometimes.

He sniffs and brings one of the tissues up to his face to dab at his eyes, but the tears don’t stop flowing and all he’s left with is a soggy tissue and a face that’s no drier.

He’s still crying as the TV plays some advert about holidays. He sniffs loudly again, grabbing another tissue to wipe at his nose and eyes.

He doesn’t hear Minhyuk come in over the sound of his sobs and instead is shocked with an arm wrapping around his shoulders and asking, “Jooheony, what’s wrong?”

Jooheon just cries more as he falls into Minhyuk’s chest. The arms that wrap tightly around him are comforting, but only prompt his tears to fall even more, except now it’s a mixture of his sadness and exhaustion along with the happiness of the overwhelming love and comfort he’s receiving from Minhyuk.

He registers a hand rubbing up and down his back and the sound of Minhyuk whispering comforting words into his ear.

It takes a while, a long while, but Jooheon eventually manages to calm down.

He pulls away from Minhyuk’s chest and grimaces at the wet splotch in the middle of his shirt. “Sorry,” he mutters. His voice comes out scratchy.

Minhyuk shakes his head and rubs Jooheon’s arms some more. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it. It’s just some snot, it could be worse,” he jokes, making Jooheon laugh. Minhyuk pauses for a moment, studying Jooheon’s face carefully. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Jooheon hums. He shifts so he can sit at Minhyuk’s side instead and leans into him. Minhyuk wraps an arm around Jooheon’s shoulders, pulling him closer, and presses a kiss into the hair on the top of his head.

“What happened?”

Jooheon shrugs as best he can in Minhyuk’s hold. “Everything just seemed to go wrong today and I’m so tired. It’s just one of those days, you know?”

Minhyuk hums, playing with the short hairs at the nape of Jooheon’s neck. “Do you feel any better now?”

“Yeah. Thank you for comforting me.” He goes quiet for a moment, just appreciating the feeling of Minhyuk playing with his hair. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”

Minhyuk chuckles lightly, but Jooheon can hear there’s something off about it. “I was so worried. I opened the door and I could hear you sobbing and I didn’t know what was happening and I was so scared you were hurt so I ran over here.” He clears his throat after his long sentence, sounding out of breath. “My snacks are still on the floor where I dropped them.”

Jooheon’s hit with a wave of guilt. He tries to pull back, to escape Minhyuk’s arms, but Minhyuk refuses to let him out of his hold.

“You’re not going anywhere. I know what you’re trying to do. Don’t feel guilty, okay? I’m always here for you. Always.”

Jooheon gives up fighting and relaxes back into Minhyuk’s chest. He lets his eyes slip closed, the exhaustion finally overtaking him.

The last thing he hears before he falls asleep against Minhyuk’s chest is, “I love you, Honey. Always have and always will.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

_One day, I was trying to drink tea_  
_I put the kettle on to boil water_  
_and then, I thought about you for a while_  
_I closed my eyes for a while_  
**honey tea; oohyo**

Jooheon blinks his eyes open, squinting at the bright light shining into the room. He blearily looks around for his phone, only to notice he’s sleeping on the sofa and not in his bed. He furrows his brows, wondering why he wouldn’t be in his room, and then the previous night comes rushing back to him. The crying, Minhyuk, and then falling asleep in Minhyuk’s arms.

He realises there’s a pillow under his head and knows Minhyuk must’ve tried to make him as comfortable as possible on the sofa instead of waking him up to go back to their room. It makes Jooheon’s heart swell in appreciation.

The faint sound of someone singing reaches Jooheon’s ears. It’s coming from the kitchen, so Minhyuk must already be awake. Unless there’s a singing intruder, of course, but Jooheon doubts that’d be the case.

Wrapping his duvet around his shoulders, Jooheon trudges into the kitchen.

As soon as he enters, his nose is hit with the sweet aroma of honey. He seems Minhyuk, who’s still singing quietly, standing at the counter and switching between two different mugs, stirring both of them in turn.

“Whatcha making?”

Minhyuk jumps and the spoon he was holding clatters to the floor. A hand to his heart, he turns to Jooheon. “I didn’t hear you come in.” After taking a moment to calm down and retrieving the spoon from the floor, he continues. “Your throat sounded sore last night, so I thought I’d make us some honey and lemon tea.”

Jooheon smiles appreciatively, a warm feeling spreading throughout his body. “Thanks, Minnie.”

Minhyuk grins back. He carefully transfers the scalding hot mugs from the counter to their dining table, placing one at his usual seat and the other at Jooheon’s.

Jooheon slides into the chair opposite Minhyuk. He’s still wrapped up in his duvet, which doesn’t make it the easiest to sit down or move his arms, but he manages to find a way to reach out his hands to wrap them around the mug and warm them up.

The tea is far too hot to drink yet, but that doesn’t mean he can’t use it as a hand warmer for the time being.

“How are you feeling?” Minhyuk asks, his hands wrapped around his own mug, mirroring Jooheon.

“Kinda shit,” he admits. “How long was I asleep for?”

Minhyuk presses the home button on his phone and it lights up, the time appearing on his screen. “Like 12 hours.”

“Fuck.”

Minhyuk giggles at Jooheon’s mortified face. “You must’ve needed the sleep.”

Jooheon picks up his tea and takes a sip. He hisses when the liquid hits his tongue, scalding it.

Minhyuk tuts. “Let it cool down first.”

Jooheon nods sheepishly and puts the tea back down on the table. They’re quiet for a while, only the low sound of a shower running in the flat next door can be heard. “Thank you for everything last night,” Jooheon speaks up. He doesn’t look at Minhyuk as he speaks, instead choosing to stare into his tea as if it’s the most interesting thing in the world. “Also, I’m sorry I cried all over you and then fell asleep on you. That’s probably not how you wanted to end your day.”

A warm hand cups around Jooheon’s own. He looks over to see the faintest of smiles on Minhyuk’s face. “I’m always here for you, Honey. Just tell me if you’re ever feeling shitty and we can watch some romcoms and cuddle. How’s that sound?” 

And to Jooheon that sounds perfect.

 

* * *

 

After a day of cuddling on the sofa and watching movies, Jooheon is satisfied. It’s been a nice, relaxing day that he’s happy he got to spend with Minhyuk. He has university work to be doing, but he knows he wouldn’t be able to focus feeling like this, so he thinks it was a well-deserved break.

They’re still on the sofa together, Jooheon’s feet tucked under Minhyuk’s legs, a blanket thrown over both of them. It’s a little too warm for Jooheon, but he doesn’t want to move and disrupt the tranquillity.

Minhyuk is intently focused on the TV. Having watched a few too many movies, there’s now some gameshow Jooheon has never heard of playing instead. Minhyuk’s got really into it, though, yelling out the answers before the contestants get a chance and grinning smugly when he gets them right.

It’s endearing, really.

Minhyuk’s phone ringing disrupts the atmosphere. He looks at it with a scrunched-up nose, then slides across the screen to answer it. “Hey, what’s up?”

There’s talking from the other end of the line, but Jooheon isn’t able to make out any of the words that are being said. He can tell that the person sounds frantic, though, and he wonders what could possibly be going on.

They continue to talk for a while and the longer they speak the more and more Minhyuk’s face drops.

Eventually, they stop talking. Minhyuk says a, “Shit, yeah. I’ll be right there,” and throws the blanket off himself. He hangs up the phone and shoves it in his pocket, the panic written all over his face. His actions are frantic, so Jooheon puts a hand on his arm to get his attention.

“What’s happened?”

There are tears in the corner of Minhyuk’s eyes, Jooheon realises. “That was Changkyun. There was a car accident nearby, but no one knows who was involved. Kihyun and Hyungwon went out to buy food in Hyungwon’s car and now Changkyun can’t contact Kihyun or Hyungwon. He’s at the hospital now trying to find out if anything’s happened to either of them.”

Jooheon’s heart sinks when he hears the words. He’s not as close to Kihyun or Hyungwon as Minhyuk is, only knowing them through Minhyuk himself, but he considers them friends now and it’s terribly worrying to hear. “Okay. Right. I’ll drive us down there, yeah? You shouldn’t be getting the bus in this state and it’ll be quicker if we drive.”

Minhyuk leans down to wrap Jooheon in a hug. “Thank you, Honey.”

Jooheon squeezes back. He gets up, Minhyuk still slightly hanging off him, and directs them both over to the front door. He slips on some shoes, Minhyuk doing the same, and grabs his keys off the hook beside the door.

Jooheon never really uses his car, preferring to walk places since everything at their university is in such close proximity, but now he’s thankful he bothered to bring it even if it doesn’t get a lot of use.

They both climb into the car and Jooheon turns on the radio.

They don’t speak during the drive to the hospital, but Jooheon understands why Minhyuk isn’t up for conversation at the moment. He grew up with Kihyun and Hyungwon, the three of them always being the best of friends, and so obviously he’s going to be worried.

They make it to the hospital in record time. Jooheon hopes they didn’t pass any speed cameras on the way because he definitely didn’t always stick to the speed limit.

They both hurry inside, Minhyuk’s clammy hand clasped in Jooheon’s own.

Jooheon’s hit with the clean, stale smell that’s unique to hospitals as soon as they enter. There are nurses and doctors rushing around everywhere. It’s busy and hectic and reminds Jooheon of why he hates hospitals so much, but they have a purpose to being here, so he pushes through.

Part of him wants to bet one of the doctors to tell him anything they know, but he knows it’s not going to happen and he won’t be told any information, but he really wants to know if Kihyun or Hyungwon are actually here, for Minhyuk and Changkyun’s sake especially.

Jooheon tugs Minhyuk along towards the A&E waiting room after spotting the sign for it.

It doesn’t take long to find Changkyun. He’s sitting in the back of the waiting room with a tear-stained face and Jooheon’s heart aches at the sight.

“Hey, Changkyun. Heard anything?” Jooheon asks, approaching the boy slowly.

Minhyuk lets go of Jooheon’s hand and drops into the seat next to Changkyun. His body sags and crumples in on itself. It’s a heart-breaking sight to see.

“No. I’ve tried calling but no answer.” Changkyun sniffs and wipes a hand under his nose. In any other situation Jooheon would’ve made a joke about him being gross and unsanitary, but now isn’t the time nor place for that. “The doctors won’t tell me anything. I’m so worried.”

Minhyuk slips his arm around Changkyun’s shoulders and tugs him closer, comforting him.

Jooheon doesn’t get a chance to speak again to try and reassure Changkyun before a door slams open behind him. He turns around in shock, only to see a distraught Kihyun.

It takes Kihyun only a few seconds to spot Changkyun and then he’s running over. He drops to his knees in front of Changkyun and reaches his hands up, cupping Changkyun’s cheeks. He studies over Changkyun’s face for any signs of injury while Changkyun stares back with the most shocked look in his eyes.

When Kihyun doesn’t see anything immediately wrong with Changkyun, he drops his hands. “Are you okay, baby? What happened?”

Changkyun opens and closes his mouth but no words come out.

Jooheon speaks up instead. “We thought you were in the car crash that was on the news because Changkyun couldn’t get hold of you. We rushed down here to try and find out if you were safe and, well, I guess you are.”

Kihyun furrows his eyebrows together as he turns back to look at Jooheon. “We got stuck in traffic in a tunnel, so we had no service. My phone managed to connect to service for a couple of seconds and all I got was some weird texts about Changkyun being in hospital so Hyungwon rushed us over here. He’s still parking the car.”

It’s all a misunderstanding, Jooheon realises, and he breathes a sigh of relief. Everyone’s safe, even if Changkyun and Minhyuk have faces covered in tears.

Hyungwon comes running into the waiting room, whizzing past Jooheon and joining Kihyun on the floor in front of Changkyun. “Are you okay? Minhyuk, why are you here?”

Minhyuk looks at his two friends and starts crying. Kihyun, who’s been too focused on Changkyun to really register that Minhyuk was there too, wraps a hand around Minhyuk’s. He looks back at Jooheon with a helpless look in his eyes, but Jooheon can only shrug.

“Min?” Kihyun tries again.

Minhyuk lets out a hiccup and sniffs loudly. “I was worried. So worried. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Kihyun stands up and pulls Minhyuk up with him. He wraps his arms around Minhyuk, tightly, pulling him into a hug. Minhyuk cried into Kihyun’s shoulder and Jooheon assumes it’s from the relief.

“We’re okay. You’re okay,” Jooheon hears Kihyun whisper.

Minhyuk nods against Kihyun’s shoulder.

When he finally calms down, Minhyuk gives Kihyun a smile, ruffles Changkyun’s hair, pats Hyungwon on the shoulder and says his goodbyes.

“We can go home now,” he says to Jooheon who’s been hanging back for most of it, letting the others talk.

“Hey, Minhyuk, Jooheon?” Changkyun calls as they start to leave. The two of them turn back to face him. “Thank you both.” 

Minhyuk gives him a wave, and Jooheon a smile, and they both leave the hospital and go home.

 

* * *

 

Minhyuk collapses on the sofa as soon as they make it back to their flat.

Jooheon smiles sadly at him as he takes his shoes off. “Go to bed, Minnie. It’ll be more comfortable.”

There’s a grunt but no movement.

Jooheon sighs. He knows Minhyuk’s going to complain his back hurts when he wakes up after sleeping on the sofa, because it’s happened every single time he’s done it before, but he also knows he’s had a hard, emotional day and he doesn’t want to push him too much and potentially upset him.

So, he lets Minhyuk stay on the sofa.

Jooheon opens up their storage cupboard. A box falls to the floor, so he kicks it back inside, deciding it can be dealt with later. The cupboard is filled with all their useless junk that has no other place to go, so it’s basically just a huge mess. Jooheon hasn’t even looked in the cupboard in months, so he’s not entirely sure what he might find in there.

He scans his eyes over the cupboard and easily spots the blanket he’s looking for, resting beneath a few smaller boxes on top of some larger boxes. He pulls it out, uncaring about the boxes that clatter to the floor as he does so, and shoves the door closed. He can deal with it another day.

He takes the blanket over to the sofa where Minhyuk is already dozing off. He carefully places the blanket over Minhyuk, making sure it’s covering his whole body and tucking him in. he would’ve just grabbed Minhyuk’s duvet, but he’s still in all his clothes and would’ve definitely overheated, so the blanket is a much better choice.

“Thanks, Honey,” Minhyuk whispers.

Jooheon cards his fingers through Minhyuk’s hair, gently lulling him into sleep.

Once Minhyuk’s breathing evens out, Jooheon carefully removes his hand and smiles sadly down at his friend. “I love you,” he murmurs.

He turns away, deciding he might as well go to bed as well. It’s getting rather late by now. 

By doing so, he misses the smile that spreads over Minhyuk’s face, even with his eyes remaining closed.

 

* * *

 

 

 

_Come on baby come a little closer_  
_Hit you with that playlist_  
**playlist; dpr live**

Minhyuk is gone when Jooheon wakes up. It’s not that surprising with it being a Sunday as Minhyuk often has plans to hang out with friends over the weekend.

There’s a mug of coffee sitting on their dining table with a note and something flat and square shaped sitting next to it, wrapped in bright pink wrapping paper covered in hearts. The note isn’t unusual, Minhyuk often leaves Jooheon notes in the morning along with his coffee when he wakes up first and goes out, but the present is new.

Jooheon picks up the note first.

> _morning honey i hope u like the coffee and the present let me know what u think :3_

Jooheon frowns, confused. He puts the note back onto the table and instead picks up the strange present. It’s hard, but very thin. He shakes it around a bit in an attempt to figure out what’s inside, but there isn’t any noise as he does so.

Deciding not to delay opening it any longer, Jooheon tears the wrapping paper open.

Inside, he finds a CD case with a plain white CD inside it. There’s no cover in the case or any sort of note explaining what it is, only the CD and its case.

Now Jooheon’s even more confused.

They have an old CD player that neither of them ever use due to the existence of Spotify and the like. It’s rather useful now, though, so he can find out what’s on the strange CD Minhyuk has left him.

He pulls the CD player out from the cupboard and blows the dust off the top of it. It makes his nose all itchy and he sneezes loudly.

Jooheon places the CD player on their coffee table in the living room and plugs it in, having to unplug their Xbox to do so. He brings over his now cold coffee which he forgot about as well as the CD case.

He sips on the coffee and grimaces. It’s definitely been sitting out for too long, being well past the point of an acceptable temperature, but Minhyuk made it for him so he’s going to drink it and (try to) enjoy it anyway.

After putting the CD into the CD player and pressing the play button, he downs the rest of the dreadful coffee, wanting to get drinking it over with, but also needing the caffeine boost from it.

Music starts playing from the CD player. The first song is Talk Me Down by Troye Sivan, which is a song he and Minhyuk have listened to many times together.

He lets the song play out and continue to the next one, which is a new song he hasn’t heard before. Jooheon decides to focus on the lyrics, figuring Minhyuk’s trying to leave him a message through the playlist.

By the time the CD finishes playing and Jooheon’s heard all five songs, he’s pretty sure he knows what the message Minhyuk’s trying to leave is.

“Collisions of a finer love, I’d kill for one more way to tell you how you make me better every day.”

“Nothing you confess could make me love you less.”

“I wanna hold hands with you but that’s all I wanna do right now and I wanna get close to you.”

He doesn’t want to give himself too much hope, worried that he’s somehow reading into the meaning wrong, but Jooheon truly can’t see the playlist as anything other than a confession. He feels all giddy inside thinking about how there’s a very high chance that Minhyuk likes him back.

He hits play on the CD player once again and lets the music play in the background as he starts to get ready for the day.

 

* * *

 

Jooheon hasn’t had a productive day. He’s been trying to work on yet another essay he’s been set, but he keeps getting distracted thinking about Minhyuk and his playlist.

He’s sitting on the sofa, the CD playing for the _n_ th time that day, scrolling through Twitter on his phone.

His essay is still open on his laptop, but it hasn’t been touched in hours now.

The distinct sound of a key turning in the lock has his head shooting up to look at the door. He feels his heart start to beat hard in his chest, excited yet nervous to see Minhyuk again for the first time since (what Jooheon assumes is) his confession.

Minhyuk’s bundled up in a huge coat and his scarf, his backpack grasped in his hand. He drops it on the floor and shuts the door before he looks up and notices Jooheon sitting on the sofa, smiling over at him shyly.

“Hey, Honey,” he greets, dropping his backpack on the floor by their shoe rack.

“Hi, Minnie.”

Minhyuk takes his time taking off his scarf and coat, leaving Jooheon nervously anticipating to see what he’s going to say next.

“So, did you like your present?”

Jooheon nods. “I loved it.” He pauses, hesitant. There could be a chance he’s completely misunderstood and Minhyuk just left him the playlist without any real reasoning behind it, but he figures now is the best chance he’s going to get to confess his own feelings. “If it means what I think it means, I like you too.”

And the smile that breaks out over Minhyuk’s face could rival the sun with its brightness. He runs over to Jooheon, almost tripping over their rug and launches himself over the sofa so he lands on top of Jooheon. It’s painful for both of them, but Jooheon can’t say he really minds.

Minhyuk grins down at Jooheon, his hands on his chest to keep him up. “Are we boyfriends now?”

Jooheon doesn’t need to reply with words, instead choosing to reply with his actions. He leans up and slots his lips against Minhyuk’s.

It lasts barely a second, the two of them smiling too much to properly kiss one another, but to Jooheon it’s the perfect first kiss with his (now) boyfriend.

“I’m so happy I have you, Minnie. And I’m so glad you’re my boyfriend.”

“I love you, Honey.”

“I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! i rly appreciate kudos n comments <3
> 
> min's playlist is: talk me down - troye sivan, if these sheets were the states - all time low, dance with me - beabadoobee, i'll stand by you - the pretenders, honey tea - oohyo


End file.
